Formal documents

Business organisations produce millions of formal and informal documents every day. They write letters, reports, emails, and prepare agendas and minutes for meetings. They respond to enquires and complains, and provide information to people both inside and outside the organisation.

The documents in the business communication have two main purposes:

• Internal communication - within the organisation
• External communication - outside the organisation

People in business communicate for many different reasons:

• Provide information
• Confirm an arrangement or agreement
• Promote an idea, product or service
• Make a request
• Provide instructions

The layout and style of a business document must be fit for its purpose as well as appropriate for the task and the audience.
In this task I am going to explain the purpose of 4 different formal documents. I have chosen to write about a formal letter, email, agenda of a meeting, and minutes.

Formal letter

A formal letter is a business letter which is written in formal language, usually used when writing from one business organisation to another or between an organisation or its customers. The business letters are mostly external and are used for many different purposes such as to make inquires, send replies, to place orders or bank correspondences and many others. The main and basic function of the letter is to influence the reader not only to send your message to the person who receives the letter. Nowadays, it is very easy to communicate through letters. Business letters can be highly effective tools to achieve your purpose.
Some of the more common reasons to write a formal letter are:

• Responding to someone
• Requesting permission for something
• Job application
• Describe a problem
• Express opinion about a product
• To thank a person

Formal email

Sending an email is a method of exchanging digital messages from one person to another. Messages can be send worldwide very easily. Emails operate across the internet or other computer networks. Business emails are less formal than the letter. They could be internal and external. They are mainly written to colleagues and ask for specific actions. Emails are usually short and other documents can be attached. Office workers receive many emails. In its simplest form, business emails are for sharing information. If it is used properly, email can be an effective method of communication.
The main purpose of emails are:

• For sharing basic information
• For marketing and advertising
• For negotiations

Emails are very useful and quick method of communication. It is very easy to store all your inbox and find the information later on, when you need it.

Meeting Agenda

An agenda is a list of meeting activities in order in which they are to be taken up. It usually includes one or mire specific topics to be discussed in a business meeting. The purpose of the agenda is to follow the topics need to be discussed so that no one gets off topic. The agenda should be distributed to participants several days before the meeting so that they have the opportunity to prepare for the meeting. Building a meeting agenda is making a plan for the meeting.
The items which appear on the meeting agenda include:

• Participants for the actual meeting
• A date and time of the meeting
• A suitable location
• The items need to be discussed and actions to be taken
• The amount of time the group will need to discuss each item
• Review the meeting's purpose
• Review the minutes of the prior meeting

Meeting minutes


Meeting minutes are the written or recorded documentation that is used to inform attendees and non-attendees of the happenings during the meeting.
Minutes usually include:

• The names of the participants
• The agenda items covered
• Decisions made during the meeting
• Due dates for the completion of commitments

The meeting minutes focus on decisions made during the meetings. They include basic information and not everything should be written but you should summarise the information carefully. In case of confusion you can refer back to it and find the information you need.

Source used for the examples: www.google.com

Unit 8 M2
In this task of the assignment I am going to explain and compare my choice of internal and external documents.

There are two basic types of documents: external and internal. External documents, such as invoices, payment vouchers, VAT report and tax returns are produced because someone outside the organisation needs them. Internal documents are used inside the company to make decisions about different things. Examples are price information, sales statistics, payment forecasts and others. You need the information they provide to control and develop your business and you are required to keep it up to date and archived in a safe place. All documents should be written correctly whether they are informal or formal.

I chose to write about formal letter and formal email because most of the companies use them almost every day. They are used mainly as external documents because the internal are more informal. People within the organisation know each other, so they don't have to use formal language and don't need to write emails in formal way. Emails which are sent to people outside the organisation should be written in more formal way and, also, the lay out is very important.

The purpose of the formal letter is often more serious. It may be a formal application for a job, a formal statement of a job offer, a formal document from the employer to the employees or the customers. All these are generally too important to write them in more informal document like e-mail or a memo. In addition, recipients may want a document that has a signature and is filed in an appropriate way.

Meeting agenda and meeting minutes are internal documents. I chose to give them as an example because they are very important for the company and they, both, improve the work within the organisation. The meeting agenda is a list of meeting activities in the order in which they are to be taken up. It usually includes one or more specific topics about the business to be discussed. It is used by the people who attend the meeting so they will know exactly what to talk about and they will make sure that they don't miss anything that have to be discussed.

The purpose of the meeting agenda is to record the actions have been decided upon and summarises of the discussions held at the meeting. After the meeting the minutes should be checked with the chairperson to confirm accuracy and then passed to anyone else affected by any decisions taken at the meeting.

All internal and external documents are important for the overall image and productivity level of the company. They improve the team work within the company and inform the customers about any changes or offers provided by the business. All documents should be stored carefully and people should be able to find it easily when they need something. Because of the importance of these kind of documents the business should be very careful with the arrangement and try to not lose any of them and keep them safe. The purpose of the documents may be different but they all help to company to work more effectively and achieve its goals.

 

SWOT Analysis and career plan

A SWOT analysis is a great tool to help people to find their strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats. It's a strategic tool that will help everyone in both their business and their personal life.


Business SWOT

Strengths

• Advertising ideas
• Good team working
• Good understanding of local needs and issues

Weaknesses

• Lack of information on estate management
• Lack of experience and confidence
• Lack of competitive strengths

Opportunities

• Possibility of extending area of housing sold
• More advertising can be done
• Choose a good area for the property
• Good estate Management IT system

Threats

• Loosing staff
• Difficult to find experienced staff
• Difficult to let properties
• Competitive reality is quickly gaining strength
• Issues that may affect and decrease the property value

Personal SWOT

Strengths

• Get on well with people
• Well organised
• Responsible
• Enthusiastic
• Ambitious
• Honest
• Well motivated
• Good IT skills
• Good paperwork
• good at meeting deadlines
• excellent punctuality
• love of learning
• Kind
• Sense of fairness
• Self-control
• Positive attitude
• Working the achieve the best in the future

Weaknesses

• Not a great negotiator
• Lack of confidence and experience
• Impatient
• Problem solving in some occasions
• Easily distracted sometimes
• Too lazy sometimes

Opportunities

• Access course
• Achieving the qualifications I want
• Making new friendships
• Career direction
• New challenges
• Developing stronger communication skills

Threats

• Not achieving my goals and qualification
• Lack of competitive strengths

Task 3B

In this task I am going to write about two jobs, which I could do now.  

Administrative assistant is the job I could currently apply for, because I have the skills and qualifications I need to apply for it, because last year I worked as an admin assistant in a consultancy company for 2 weeks. I have worked a lot in a team during the assignments in college and I have good computer skills. Entry requirements can vary a lot between employers. Some may look for GCSEs, including Maths and English, and others may taste the keyboard, filling, and telephone skills. They may need Award, Certificate or Diploma in Business and Administration at levels one to three. I already have Level 1 qualifications and if I achieve my qualifications this year I will have Level 2 in Business, Maths and English.

The tasks this job might have include:

dealing with post

making sure that there is enough stationery

answering the telephone and passing on calls

reception duties such as greeting and looking after visitors

typing and setting up documents such as letters and reports

keeping computer records up to date

filing

using office equipment such as printers, photocopiers and fax machines

managing staff appointments

setting up meetings and taking minutes

making travel arrangements for staff.

To be an administrative assistant I will need to have:

• excellent time management skills
• good communication skills
• the ability to work well as part of a team
• computer literacy and good typing skills
• good 'people' skills
• accuracy and attention to detail
• the ability to use your own initiative

The second job I could currently apply for is as Customer Assistant in Vue cinemas. I am suitable for this job, because I love films and enjoy working with people. I get on well with them, so I can get more experience and improve my 'people' skills. The cinema is looking for people to deliver a great cinema experience to all their customers which will keep them coming back. There are a wide variety of duties in all areas of the cinema. The main duty is to meet and great customers and serve them drinks, snacks and tickets. Through experience I'll soon be able to suggest the best films and prepare screens for the next film. I need to ensure that my work is effective, the teams achieve their targets and the cinemas maximise profits. 

 

Career Plan

After I finish Level 2 in Business and I achieve qualifications in Maths and English Functional Skills Level 2 I want to study Access in Business Level 3 course. When I achieve the Access course I want to go to university and study Business Management. I am going to specialise in Economics, International Business, Law and Marketing. This is a three years course, so I plan to finish my education in about 5 years time. After that I plan to start work in a company as an Office administrator. This will help me to gain more experience within an business environment. In ten years time I plan to open my own business or to be a manager in a big company. I still don't have the skills and qualities I need to do this job, but in the future, I plan to work as a Business Adviser. As a business adviser I would give advice and support to help new businesses to start up. I would also encourage established businesses to grow. I might advise on different kind of issues including finance and marketing. To work as business adviser I need experience and a good track record in business management. Most business advisers have run their own business, or have worked in management, finance or human resources. I will need to demonstrate a wide range of skills, including marketing, finance, planning and project management. Employers are usually more interested in the skills and experience than the formal qualifications, although it may be helpful to have a business-related degree or professional qualification.

Day-to-day tasks would normally include:

• looking at clients’ business ideas and analysing their potential
• helping clients to develop business plans
• advising on sources of finance and grants
• helping existing small businesses with problems such as finding ways to reduce costs or improve marketing
• networking with the local business community and enterprise organisations

To be a business adviser, I will need to have:

• experience of managing small or medium-sized businesses
• excellent written and spoken communication skills
• clear, objective and logical thinking
• awareness of current business issues and trends
• a non-judgemental and positive approach
• IT skills
• good organisational skills and the ability to manage several projects at once

Task 1 Research and planning (Task 5 extension)

Pick 3 websites:

• NGO
• Private sector
• Public sector 

What's the website purpose?
Navigation issues
Drop down menues
Text boxes
Buttons
Font
Accessibility (languages)
Search engine
Logo
Online services



Oxfam (NGO)

The purpose of the website is to provide a lot of information about the organisation and its services. The purpose of the website is to inform and sell products to its customers. It has some main buttons on the home page, which lead to many other pages with information about Oxfam. The website has a 'shop online' button, which means it sells products to its customers. They put a search engine on the website because it contains much information and its easier for the visitors to find the pages they're interested in. The visitors can also sign up for email updates. The website contains many pages which persuade people to donate and help other people in need. The website has information about fundraising, volunteering, festivals, opportunities for young people, work and partnership with the organisation. On each page of the website there are many other pages with information about the Oxfam trustee, campaign groups, emergency response, issues they work on and the countries they work in. There is a 'shop online button' which leads to the products that the website sell to its customers. The visitors can shop by category, including women's clothing, kids' clothing, books, household, music, films and video games, stamps and coins, art and photography, toys and games, bridal, and vintage products.
The website has many different colours. The main colour is green, but also they use orange, white, yellow, red and blue and many others. Oxfam logo is made with green letters and a green circle. They put different pictures on the pages and the website contains many videos and some statistics, which help people to understand the information easier. They use simple font style for the text, so anybody can read it without an effort. They use mostly black colour for the letters and the background is white, the headings are bold and with different font style, but it is still easy to read the text. They use some different colours for for the main articles, green text is used on a white background, white text on orange and green background, for the 'sale' page white text is used on red. There is a search engine for the pages and there is also a 'shop finder' engine, so the visitors can use it to find the nearest Oxfam shop.

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/


BBC (public sector)

The main purpose of the BBC website is educational. It informs its visitors with the news. It also has information about the weather, sports, television, and radio. It has links to entertainment pages, lifestyle and knowledge. It is easy to find information, news and pages, you are interested in, using the search engine at the right corner of the page. It is easy to find the most popular news. Visitors can access the pages with only one click with the right button of the mouse. On the very beginning of the home page there is day, date and time, and five day forecast for the weather. Also on the main page there are links to many other pages, including information about the BBC, BBC trust, food, health, history, learning, music, nature, science, and travel news. People from many different countries can access the BBC website and change the language if they want to. The news and the information is going to change, depending on the country and the language of the visitor. Different people are interested in different things and news, so the BBC website provides different kind of news for everyone. It has news and analysis in 27 languages. In the news there are special reports and news about the UK, England, Wales, Scotland and the World news. On each page there are different areas of the country, so people can find information about their own city. The British Broadcasting Corporation is the world's largest broadcaster. The logo of the BBC is very simple. It uses black and white and it is made from 3 black squares with white letters on each of the squares. The design of the website is very simple. Not many colours are used, but the website is very effective in its simple way. The website contains many pictures for the different topics and news. It also contains many videos and audio files, which help the visitors to understand the information easier. Visitors can see the headings in bold capital letters and the subheadings are with different colours, mostly in red or dark pink. Many colours are used on the pages, blue letters are used on white background, white letters on black and black letters on yellow, but the colours are very eye-catching and it looks very interesting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/


Amazon (private sector)

Amazon.com is a commercial website and its main purpose is to sell products, which are upload on the pages of the website by different people. It also contains information about the website and what it does, but it is not as that much as the selling products. The website contains many links which are easy to be followed. On the home page there is 'shop by department', below it there are other pages and people can find the product they want to buy, including books, music, games, films and TV, electronics, home and garden, clothes, shoes, watches, and many others. Each button leads to variety of products and features. On the home page there is a search engine, so it is easy for the visitors to find the product, which they are interested in. People from different countries can access the website. People from Brazil, Canada, France, China, Italy, Germany, Spain and United States can access it, sell and buy products. There is a basket on the page, where people can put all the items they want to buy.
The website contains many pictures and photos of each product. There is a lot of space between the pictures, so people don't get confused when they open the pages.
The Amazon logo is very simple. It has only black letters and orange arrow below the text. The design of the website is also very simple. The background is white and text is simple with black, dark grey and blue letters. The prices of the products are with red colour so they are more out-standing when the visitors look at the pages. There is information for each product and people can leave a comment about it below. Not many colours are used but the website is very effective and many people visit it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/


There are many online services in many websites. But more of them sell products, so people can easily buy items without any effort. People can pay by a debit or a credit card. The difference between these cards is that the debit card already has your own saved money and the credit card allows you to get money from your account and give it back later. Most people use a PayPal account to buy products. PayPal is the the most safety method to make an online payment. People can register their credit or debit card with PayPal. The registration is easy and it is very useful for people who don't want to put the pass code of their card every time they buy an item. Paypal has already all the information about the credit or the debit card and it is not necessary to enter the information again. When people buy a product they need to enter only the email and the password of the registration in PayPal.

Internet security is also very important for the security of a company or only one person. Its objective is to establish rules and measures to use against attack over the internet. Different methods have been used to protect the transfer of data. Different types of security, firewalls and antivirus programmes help to secure the communication and all the information on the internet.

Task 5 extension

In this part of the assignment I am going to compare the use of image, the use of video and the use of text on each of the websites. The websites I chose to write about are from Task 1. They are Amazon, Oxfam and BBC. 

The three websites use different colours and the three of them are very simple and easy to use. The three websites use white background for a main colour, because it is easy to read a text on white background. The websites have different purposes. The Oxfam website provides a lot of information about the organisation and what services it provides. The main purpose is to sell products. 

The three websites use lots of images to show better what their purposes are and to help visitors to understand the information easier. BBC website contains more videos than Amazon and Oxfam. Almost each of the news has a video attached to it. Amazon has more pictures than the other two websites because it shows what each product is and for each of them there are more than one picture. The website doesn't need videos to show the products. The websites have search engines on the home pages so the customers can find easily what they need. The BBC website use more text than Oxfam and Amazon. It contains many news and also has information about the weather, sports, television, and radio. It contains links to entertainment pages, lifestyle, and knowledge. Amazon doesn't use so much text because it contains information only about the products it sells. Oxfam uses text to give information about the donations and the company's activities but it doesn't use as much text as the BBC website. 

The three of the websites contain many different pages but the navigation from one page to another is very easy to be used. For example, to find the weather in the BBC website all you need to do is to click once on the ''Weather'' link. If you want to read the sports news you need to click on ''Sport'' link. On each page there are many other pages you can use to read more information and news. The purposes of the websites are different and the three of the businesses are from different sectors but the websites are very eye-catching, very effective and many people visit them.

Rules and regulations

In this part of the task I am going to write about the rules and regulations that may affect a business.

Nowadays, it is very easy and almost everyone can set up a business in the UK. People, who want to set up a business, first need to come up with realistic idea, product or service. To start up they need to have the info about the company name, address, share capitals and shareholder details. People may need a licence for some business activity. Employers and employees should think about the law and regulations that may affect the business before starting work within an organisation. There are many regulations that affect operations within a company. All the employees should be paid equal pay and to be treated equally, no matter their sex, race or disability.

Consumer laws aim to protect people who buy goods and services. When people buy something the law protects the consumer rights. People can get help if they are treated unfairly or when things go wrong. This includes, faulty goods, poor service, problems with contracts or problems with builders. There are various Acts of Parliament, which have improved the rights of buyers.
There are also two main laws that protect consumers who are buying goods:
The Sale of Goods Act applies if you visit the shop.
The Consumer Protection Regulation applies if you are not physically in the shop ( when you buy products online or by email, order by digital television, phone or fax).

There is a criminal law and people are not allowed to do illegal things. A criminal is an individual who has committed an action against the interests of society. There is also a competition law, which aims to ensure that fair competition takes place in each industry. Government believes that greater competition leads to lower prices, better quality, and wide range of goods.

Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 stops traders from misleading, behaving aggressively or acting unfairly towards consumers. This includes lying about the features of a product, passing them off as another brand or advertising goods that do not exist. Consumers must report a suspected offence to Trading Standards, which can take action in the civil or criminal court.

CRB checks (Criminal Record Bureau) may be needed for certain jobs or voluntary work - like working with children, or in healthcare. Normally employers aren't allow to ask job applicants about convictions, but for jobs that need CRB check this doesn't apply. The CRB service enables organisations in the public, private and voluntary sector to make safer decisions by identifying candidates who may be unsuitable for certain job, especially children or vulnerable people.

Employment Right Act 1996 - an employee has an employment contract. The main terms of the contract must be in writing and provided to the employee within 8 weeks of the start of their employment. This document is called a ''written statement of particulars''. It confirms the main express terms of the employment contract. It deals with rights that most employees can get when they work, including unfair dismissal, reasonable notice before dismissal, redundancy and more. It says what employer can and can't do.

Sex Discrimination Act 1975 is an Act of the Parliament, which protects men and women from discrimination on the grounds of sex or marriage. The act concerned employment, training, education, harassment and others. The Sex Discrimination Act established the Equal Opportunities Commission whose main responsibilities were to work towards the elimination of discrimination, to promote equality of opportunity between sexes.

Race Relations Act 1976 was established to prevent discrimination on the grounds of race. It covers discrimination of the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic, and national origin in the fields of employment, education, and public functions. Employers must not discriminate against anyone for a job because of their race or nationality.

Disability and Discrimination Act 1995 was established in many countries. Its main aim is to reduce discrimination against people with disabilities.

Other important thing for the people to think about is the national minimum wage. People who start work in a company should know the minimum wage they should get. It is £6.19 for 21 and over, for 18-20 is £4.98, for people under 18 is £3.98 and for apprenticeship is £2.68. People must be at least school leaving age to be entitled to the minimum wage.
Also important for the business is the Data Protection Act. It protects all data information and identity of people who live and work in the UK.

Governments create the rules and frameworks in which businesses are able to compete against each other. From time to time the government will change these rules and frameworks forcing businesses to change the way they operate. Today British business is affected by European Union (EU) regulations and directives as well as national laws and requirements.

Funding and financial issues

Some funding and financial issues may affect the setting up of a business. Some people need financial help to start up their business. Some may get a loan from the bank, others may borrow money from friends or even sell their own belongings. They might also use their own savings. If the company is a LTD the owner can sell share to someone who can give enough money. People who want to set up a business may get help from business grants. There are many local and national grants across the UK which can help people to set up a business. The UK governments help the different funding programmes.
Depending on the purpose of the businesses, each of them can get money using different ways. The business may sell different products or provide service to customers. Many businesses get money mainly from advertising. Nowadays, we see many websites which advertise other companies and businesses. Also some businesses do business 2 business. This describes transactions between a manufacturer and a wholesaler or between a wholesaler and a retailer. All depends on different businesses how they will get money.

Task 1 Job Roles

In this part of the task I am going to write about the L'oreal company, its functional areas and some of the main jobs within the company.

L'oreal was founded in Paris and it is the world's leading beauty company. The management committee within the company is very big. There is a chairman and CEO, executive vice-president, managing directors in different areas and many others. Some of the functional areas are Research and Development, Finance, Marketing, Business and Sales, Communication and Human Resources. There are also different types of technician and non-technician jobs within the functional areas. The job roles and the functions can be shown in a pyramid because there are fewer people in the higher roles and more people in the lower ones. There are different levels of job roles within a company and they are directors, managers, supervisors/team leader and operatives/assistants/support staff. All they are responsible for different tasks in terms to improve the company strategy and image.


Software developer

This job is for people who have good computing skills and enjoy design and development. People will normally need a degree, foundation degree or BTEC HNC/HND to become a software developer.  

To become a software developer, you will need to have a creative approach to problem-solving. You’ll also need to be able to follow technical plans. Excellent communication and customer care skills are also important.


As a software developer, your work could involve:

• designing computer controls for industrial and manufacturing machinery
• building administrative and financial databases
• developing software from home entertainment equipment
• programming a test version of a piece of software
• testing installation and compatibility issues
• checking test results and fixing technical problems
• maintaining and supporting systems once they are up and running

You could work with a range of web-based technologies, and you would need to understand how databases integrate with these systems. You would work between 37 and 40 hours a week. You may be asked to do overtime and weekends in terms to meet deadlines. 

Starting salaries for graduates can be between £20,000 and £26,000 a year. Experienced developers can earn between £28,000 and £40,000, and software developers with management responsibilities can earn over £50,000 a year.

To become a software developer, you will need to have:

• a good knowledge of hardware, software and programming languages
• a creative approach to problem-solving
• excellent communication and customer care skills
• the ability to work with people at all levels, including non-technical staff
• good project management skills
• the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• good teamwork skills
• an appreciation of the client's business needs
• an understanding of confidentiality and data protection issues
• Network support
  

Network manager

This job is suitable for people who like problem solving and have good IT skills. Network managers are responsible for designing and administering computer network systems within an organisation or between organisations. In this job people will need to be good at negotiating. They will need to be able to communicate well and give presentations and they will also need to show leadership skills when managing projects and making decisions. 

The typical duties might include:

• assessing a client's network requirements
• designing and testing plans to meet those requirements
• making sure network plans are compatible with other computer systems
• supervising technical staff
• monitoring and reporting on network performance and usage
• managing network growth and development.

Employees would work closely with other IT professionals and business managers to make sure systems work efficiently. You normally need relevant experience to become a network manager, for example working as a network engineer, an IT support technician or an IT manager. 
You may be able to take up a trainee position as a network manager with a company if you have a BTEC HNC/HND, foundation degree or degree. Relevant subjects include:

• computer networks
• networks and communications systems
• computer science
• digital communications and networks

Starting salaries can be between £24,000 and £35,000 a year.
Experienced managers earn between £35,000 and £55,000.
Senior staff with strategic responsibility can earn up to £70,000 a year.


Marketing Manager

This job is for people who like communicating ideas and messages and have creative and organisational skills.

As a marketing manager, it would be your responsibility to plan the best ways of promoting your employer's product, service and deliver it to as many people as possible. To do this job you will need to have management skills to lead and motivate a team. You'll also need the ability to work under pressure and to deadlines.

You would use various marketing strategies (such as media advertising, direct mail, websites and promotional events) to communicate with customers.
The job typical tasks would include:

• researching and analysing market trends
• identifying target markets and how best to reach them
• coming up with marketing strategies
• planning campaigns and managing budgets
• organising the production of posters, brochures and websites
• attending trade shows, conferences and sales meetings
• making sure that campaigns run to deadline and on budget
• monitoring and reporting on the effectiveness of strategies and campaigns
• managing a team of marketing executives and assistants.

People will usually need solid experience as a marketing executive before they progress into management. For jobs at management level, employers are likely to be more interested in your skills, track record and industry knowledge than your formal qualifications.If an employer does ask for qualifications, they will generally prefer you to have a marketing or business-related degree, or a professional marketing qualification.You could also move into marketing management if you have a strong background in a related area such as sales management or public relations.

Management salaries are usually between £25,000 and £40,000 a year.Senior managers and marketing directors can earn £50,000 a year or more.

 

Retail manager

A retail manager is responsible for the day-to-day management of a store/retail outlet in line with overall company policy. The main focus of any retail manager's job is to improve the commercial performance of the store by increasing its turnover and maximising profitability. 

The typical tasks would include:

• managing and motivating a team to increase sales including recruiting, training, day-to-day managing, promotions and team building
• organising stock checking and re-ordering as necessary, through computerised or manual systems
• organising sales and promotions
• analysing and interpreting consumer trends
• taking responsibility for seeing all security, health and safety and legal procedures
• analysing sales figures and forecasting future sales volumes to maximise profits
• ensuring standards for quality, customer service and health and safety are met
• maintaining awareness of market trends in the retail industry
• customer initiatives, and monitoring what local competitors are doing
• monitoring budgets and controlling expenditure
• serving customers when required.

To be a retail manager, you should have:

• the ability to lead and motivate a team
• excellent communication and 'people' skills
• a strong commitment to customer service
• the ability to work under pressure and handle challenging situations
• confidence, drive and enthusiasm
• decision-making ability and sense of responsibility
• the ability to understand and analyse sales figures
• good business sense
• an understanding of retail laws, security and health and safety.

Entry requirements depend on the company. Experience of working with customers, especially in a retail environment, is very important.

Useful qualifications include:

• Foundation Degree in Retailing
• degree in Retail Management
• degrees (non-retail) for entry onto a graduate training programme.

Income:

Starting salaries start at around £20,000 a year.

With experience, typical earnings can rise to around £31,000.

Some senior store managers earn £47,000 a year.

Human Resources Officer

This job is suitable for people who are looking for an office role and enjoy working with people. Human resources (HR) officers, also known as personnel officers, look after hiring and developing employees.

HR officers' work would usually involve:

• hiring staff – advertising and interviewing
• working with other managers to plan future staff needs
• keeping employee records
• providing staff training and development
• making sure staff have the right pay and benefits
• dealing with complaints and discipline procedures
• promoting equality, and health and safety
• advising on matters like pay negotiations, redundancy and employment law
• developing HR policies and procedures.

In large organisations, you may specialise in one or two of these areas. In smaller companies you would usually deal with all aspects of the job. Most employers will want you to have a good standard of general education. Previous experience of office work would help. Many human resources officers are graduates and some have a BTEC HNC/HND, degree or postgraduate qualification in human resource management. However, this is not very important if you have the right experience. You should have a good standard of general education.
Income:Personnel administrators can earn around £15,000 to £19,000 a year. Starting salaries for human resources officers can be between £18,000 and £25,000 a year. Personnel managers can earn £25,000 to £50,000 a year or more.

source used for this task: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/Pages/Home.aspx

Organisational structure

In this part of the task I am going to write about the different business organisational structures.

Depending on the size of the business and its main activity, an organisation may have different organisational structure. All organisations need some type of structure to work productively. Even the smallest businesses need specific job roles for the staff to make sure they know what they are doing. Large organisations employ more staff and organise them into different groups. The organisation structure refers to the way in which workers are arranged in a business.

There are three different organisation structures: hierarchical, flat and matrix.

Hierarchical structure
In an organisation with a hierarchical structure employees are ranked at various levels within the organisation, each level is one above the other. One person has a number of workers directly under them. For example, there is one Chief Executive and under him there are three Managers, under each of them there are Assistant Managers and under them, at the bottom, there is staff. This type of structure may be found in a large retail or manufacturing businesses. In a hierarchical structure the jobs are more specialised and the staff work in a specific functional area.

Flat structure
An organisation with only two or three levels of staff has a flat structure. This is the case with many small businesses or individual units within larger organisations. It is also the preferred structure for many creative businesses where a greater level of independence allows staff to come up with good ideas. The idea is that well-trained workers will be more productive when they are directly involved in the decision making process.

Matrix structure
Within a matrix structure, project groups of workers with different skills are created from across the functions of the business. This type of structure is popular for companies and consultancies. When a task finishes, the team breaks up and the members are assigned to another task. Each project group needs the support of other staff or departments who provide important functions, such as finance, human resources or marketing.

Source used for the charts: www.google.com